Prior art systems for delivery of forage or feed rations to livestock are known. However, these prior systems are limited to delivering grain concentrate only, or may require livestock to be physically grouped by production category. Such systems are not able to provide a total mix ratio of grain and forages individually mixed for the requirements of each individual animal. Thus, in prior art feed delivery systems it is frequently the case that a feed mixture provided to any one animal may not be the most efficient or most healthful mixture or quantity for that particular animal, although the mixture may be quite adequate for an average animal.
In one prior art system there is disclosed an individualized system in which each animal is provided with an identification tag. A tag reader is associated with a feed station, and as each animal reaches the station, its identification tag is read and a feed quantity controller is responsive thereto in order to provide an individualized quantity of feed mix to the specific animal. Such a system is deficient, however, in that cows, for example, must be released from their stalls for feeding, making it impossible to conduct an efficient in-stall operation. Moreover, by bringing the animals to a feed station the animal is given control over both the components and quantity of the total ration to be consumed, and a farmer loses control over the total ration intake for specific animals. Additionally, specific conditions may require the provision of individual mixtures to an animal as a result of particular states of health, weight, age, production, gestation or lactation of the animal, for example.
Moreover, the prior art fails to teach systems which can provide a varying number of feedings or a varying mixture to a particular animal, the quantity and contents of each ration being determined in accordance with the animal's condition.
There is thus a need in the prior art for a system capable of delivering an individualized total mix ration to a particular animal a specified number of times during a particular time period.
There is a further need for such a system which provides individual rations to specified stalls housing the animals, and which permits manual override of the machine determined rations to reflect each individual animal's metabolism rate (ability to consume and convert feed to milk) and adverse weather conditions on a global basis since cows, for example, cannot eat as much when under heat stress.
There is a more generalized need for a system capable of delivering individualized quantities, combinations, mixes, or blends of component elements to specific receiving stations, or stalls, whether in conjunction with animal feed delivery, hospital food distribution, or industrial processes.